A rare case of a male Choledochal Cyst with an ambiguous distal end incidentally discovered in adolescence.

INTRODUCTION AND

IMPORTANCE

A choledochal cyst is a rare congenital biliary tract pathology. It displays an evident dilation that could arise in any part along the biliary tree. Its incidence rate reflects its rarity when it takes place in 1 per 100,000-to-150,000 newborns. 75 % of them are detected in early childhood, whereas around 20 % are identified and diagnosed in adulthood. The gender-specific predominance favors females over males with an almost 4:1 ratio. Our case is of an adolescent male, and this constitutes a rare variant of the previous criteria. Furthermore, the distal end of the common bile duct could not be identified.

CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 15-year-old previously healthy male, who presented to our surgical clinic complaining of chronic dull aching pain in the right hypochondrium. Preoperative radiological analysis revealed a choledochal cyst.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Surgical intervention was achieved to excise the lesion and comprehensive histopathological analysis was a key element to establish a definitive diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Choledochal cysts are rare biliary anomalies. Its non-specific symptoms lead to misdiagnosis. Consequently, suitable clinical evaluation escorted by comprehensive radiological imaging is essential to suspect this pathology and swiftly treat it. This anomaly predominantly occurs in females and is chiefly discovered during childhood. Our case is a prime exception to this norm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case from Syria of an adolescent male affected by a Type I choledochal cyst with an ambiguous end of the distal common bile duct.